Coon, 1

Mitchel Coon
Mrs. Rutan
AP Literature and Composition
Hand Poem
Stereotypes
Oh precious thumb, most helpful of digits,
Without you life is impossible.
You are the Hawaiian Islands of extremities
Having graduated from obscenity to appreciation,
Separating opposing words,
Quieting the smallest of babes.
Despite your size,
You decide the victor of war.
Oh index finger, your uses number so:
You pull, poke, and point; you bring smiles to the world.
The mind of an artist, you draw with invisible ink,
Indicating the smallest of features,
Bringing attention to the weak.
Sitting to the right of the judge,
You carry out the sentencing
As if you have two nails.
I fear thee, killer of men.
Third digit, I envy you.
Tallest of your peers
And never an outsider.
You are valued for imaginative uses;
Middle fingerI say to you
What you say to others.
Precious fourththe keeper of love
The first to know when a covenant is broken.
You shy to the tall,
Yet tower over the small.
You are a disciple.
Oh little finger, always considered last
Broken promises are all you have to offer.
Youre used only with others;
You are a piano players last resort,
The fifth string quarterback.
You are apparently useless;
You are unique.

Coon, 2

My poem describes some clich characters throughout literature--from the point of view of a
protagonist or reader. I describe some basic uses and descriptions of each finger and apply it to
overgeneralized groups or individuals. My repetition of the word you is to take on a tone as if
I am talking to each finger, with the others standing by.
1.
My first stanza is an apostrophe about my thumb. This nimble finger characterizes the
unlikely friend of the protagonist. I use phrases that for positive kinesthetic imagery; such as
You are the Hawaiian Islands of extremities. This line has several deeper functions other than
portraying the thumb as a desirable location. It symbolizes the separation and beauty compared
to the other fingersqualities often possessed by the character it represents. The thumb
character often has a hard past, the ability to calm children, and the mediator between two sides.
An example of such a character is Rue from the Hunger Games.
2.
My second stanza, describing the characteristics of an index finger, has the qualities of a
character who has gone through a transformation. At first character is playful and cheerful; he is
creative and empathetic. In the next part of the stanza forms a juxtaposition as the finger
becomes murderous from the influence of others ( The inspiration of this idea comes from the
pulling of a trigger.) A specific character that possesses this story: Harvey Dent from Batman.
3.
My third stanza correlates to my middle finger. It is tall and strong, yet has no useful
purposes. What I am trying to describe in this stanza is a stereotypical bully has appeared in
countless books and films since virtually the beginning of time. A bully is usually big, the center
of attention, and dumb. I add in my own little distaste for qualities of my middle finger by
following my envious claim with one of this fingers height. To name a few fictional figures
with these traits: Peter from Divergent, Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet, and the guy Mutt got into
a fight with in the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
4.
My second-to-last stanza is devoted to my ring finger. I describe this finger as the
keeper of love for obvious reasons; however,my disciple reference might be unclear to some. If
you bend your pinky, your fourth finger follows. The same thing happens if you bend your
middle finger, thus making the ring finger a follower. This finger has features accompanied by
loyal (only up to a point) but cowardly characters. This finger represents the protagonists or
antagonists trustworthy spy who gets caught. A prime example of a literary character with these
traits is Peter Pettigrew from the Harry Potter series.
My final stanza is devoted to all other characterscharacters that break the promise of
being described by the first four stanzas. The pinkys uniqueness symbolizes characters with
traits specific to the literatures they come from. To be connected to the little finger, I do describe
them as being small, whether in size, mind, or heart. These characters might have hidden talents
other than the jobs they perform daily. Hassan from Kite Runner, is a perfect example.